Seoul is suffocating and has just broken a sad record. Residents of the South Korean capital suffered the 26th “tropical night” in a row on Friday, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) announced. In short, temperatures did not drop below 25 °C between sunset and sunrise. Since the beginning of weather observations in 1907, this is unprecedented. And the situation is not expected to improve in the coming days with new high nighttime temperatures, the KMA warned.
Seoul is not alone in suffering from the heat. Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, recorded its 22nd consecutive “tropical night,” the longest streak since records began in the city in 1904. Yeoju, in the northern province of Gyeonggi, was the hottest city in the country on Monday, at 38.7 degrees Celsius. Temperatures in the country have risen dramatically over the past 30 years, up 7.36 percent, according to the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).
What solution?
Residents are trying to find some fresh air by all means. For example, the record for electricity consumption related to the use of air conditioning and fans was broken on Monday. The Interior Minister announced on Tuesday that 21 people had possibly died as a result of heat waves since the beginning of the year.
“There is no way the situation will improve and it will only get worse,” said Youn Se-jong, an environmental lawyer. “Strengthening the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions should be the priority,” he added. South Korea currently has the lowest proportion of renewable energy in its energy mix among OECD countries, according to think tank Ember. It is also the second-largest carbon emitter per capita in the G20 due to its reliance on coal.
A global problem
In July, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of an “extreme heat epidemic” around the world and called for action to limit the impact of heatwaves made worse by climate change.
According to the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the number of days when temperatures reach 35 degrees in the world’s largest cities has jumped by 52% over the past 30 years.